THE AMERICAN BUSINESS MAN
The business man is the national hero of America, as native to the soil and as typical of the country as baseball or Broadway or big advertising. He is an interesting figure, picturesque and not unlovable, not so dashing perhaps as a knight in armor or a soldier in uniform, but he is not without the noble (and ignoble) qualities which have characterized the tribe of man since the world began. America, in common with... more...

THE REWARDS OF ETIQUETTE
Society is a game which all men play. "Etiquette" is the name given the rules of the game. If you play it well, you win. If you play it ill, you lose. The prize is a certain sort of happiness without which no human being is ever quite satisfied.
Because the demand for social happiness is thus fundamental in human nature, the game has to be played quite seriously. If played seriously, it is perforce successful, even when... more...

THE BACHELOR IN PUBLIC.
The average man is judged by his appearance and his deportment in public. His dress, his bearing, his conduct toward women and his fellow-men, are telling characteristics.
In the street, when walking with a woman—the term "lady" being objectionable, except in case of distinction—every man should be on his mettle. Common sense, which is the basis of all etiquette, teaches him that he should be her protector.... more...

ADDRESSING ENVELOPES.
MEN. A man should be addressed as Mr. James J, Wilson, or James J. Wilson, Esq. Either the Mr. or the Esq. may be used, but not the two together.
The title belonging to a man should be given. It is not customary to use Mr. or Esq. when Jr. or Sr. is used.
WOMEN. A woman's name should always have the Miss or Mrs.
A woman should... more...

PREFACE.
HERE is much truth and force in the old saying, that "Manners make the man." All persons should know how to appear to the best advantage in polite society. This very attractive volume furnishes rules of etiquette for all occasions, and is a complete guide for daily use in all matters pertaining to social intercourse.
The first department treats of . The rules given under this head are those constantly observed in the best society. The... more...

CHAPTER I.
Introductory.
"Ingenious Art with her expressive face,
Steps forth to fashion and refine the race."—Cowper.
KNOWLEDGE of etiquette has been defined to be a knowledge of the rules of society at its best. These rules have been the outgrowth of centuries of civilization, had their foundation in friendship and love of man for his fellow man—the vital principles of Christianity—and are most... more...

The Ideal Book.
There is a wide felt need for a worthy book of sound hygienic and medical facts for the non-medical people. The Ideal Book for this mission should be compact in form, but large enough to give the salient facts, and give these in understandable language; it must not be "loaded" with obsolete and useless junk of odds and ends which have long ceased to be even interesting; it must carry with it the stamp of genuine reliability; it... more...

INTRODUCTION
Children, although you might expectMy manners to be quite correct(For since I fancy I can teach,I ought to practice what I preach),'Tis true that I have often bravedMy mother's wrath, and misbehaved!And almost every single ruleI broke, before I went to school!For that is how I learned the wayTo teach you etiquette to-day.So when you chance to take a lookAt all the maxims in the book,You'll see that most of... more...

GREETING
Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy.
—Emerson.
Girls, the word lady should suggest, ideally, a girl (or a woman) who keeps herself physically fit, her thinking on a high plane, and her manners gentle and winsome.
Boys, the word gentleman means, ideally, a fine, athletic, manly fellow who is an all round good sport in the best sense, and who has manners that do not prevent other people from... more...

PREFACE.
his is an honest and earnest little book, if it has no other merit; and has been prepared expressly for the use of the young people of our great Republic, whom it is designed to aid in becoming, what we are convinced they all desire to be, true American ladies and gentlemen.
Desiring to make our readers something better than mere imitators of foreign manners, often based on social conditions radically different from our... more...